Storm and sanitary sewer systems currently employ a network of pipes to transfer drainage water and the like from point sources to sewage treatment facilities. Most all pipe networks employ concrete piping that is formed or cast and then cured at a manufacturing facility. These pipe sections must be kept short to minimize their weight. Longer length pipes produced off-site are very difficult to handle and are prone to breakage during shipment. As such, lengths of pipe are limited to about 8' lengths and 8' diameters.
When installing these short length pipes, a trench must be dug and provided with a sand/rock bed to support the weight of the pipe and in particular the area in which two pipes are joined together with a joint sealing compound. Unfortunately, due to the number of joints and ground shifting throughout the seasons, these joints leak allowing sediment, silt and other debris to enter the pipe. Flow and capacity reductions occur as a result of the debris impeding flow characteristics. The debris also reduces the effective cross-sectional area of the pipe. As such, pipes with diameters larger than necessary are installed to accommodate the anticipated debris leakage. Another disadvantage of current piping systems is in the overall cost of transporting short, heavy sections of pipe to the location, preparing a proper bed for all the joint locations and joining the short lengths to one another.
Based upon the foregoing there is a need in the art for a concrete pipe that can be provided in long lengths and that reduces the overall cost of installing a pipe network. Furthermore, there is a need for such a pipe that decreases the occurrences of leaks and that increases the water flow therethrough.